Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-11
EDWARD ATKINsoN's FIGURES.
The Material Wealth OF the United
States.

From TIE Ne2o York Sun.
The thirteen statistical tables which
Mr. Edward Atkinson presents in the
Century Magazine give an impressive
Idea of the material progress accom-
piished by this country during the first
century and its nationa, existence, now
nearly completed,
Its population for the year 1887 he CON-
pu'es at 80, 1913, 900, with an increase for
the census of 1890, according to the esti-
mate OF Mr.. E. B. Elliott. Actuary of the
Treasury Department, to Ga, 476, 900, max
ing little more than double the popula-
ton OF 1860. ..-..
Itspruducts include 3,O1l, o63, 9s4 bushels
of grain for the year 1885, against an
average OF half that number for the i've
consecutive years including 1870 and
1874: a hay crop OF IS, 410 400 tons for 1884,
against half that amount ten years
earlier: q product of 4, 529, 800 tons of pig
iron for 1885, and an estimated product OF
5,6O0,O00 tons of 1000 pounds each for
1886. against fewer than 100000 tons tii-
teen years ago; a cotton crop Of 6,55O.2l5
bales tor 1885. or more than three tim
that OF twenty years ago, We must also
note that th aggregate of twenty-one an
nual crops made by free labor since the
war is to the same number OF crops made
before the war By slave labor as 93 is to
%, while the average weight OF the bale
has also increased.
Then, as to transportation. the SO, sos
miles Of railway in operation IN 1863 have
grown to rs 96T m lies in 1886, with aggre-
gate annual passe niger and freight re-
celpts OF more than S720, 600. The
railways for the four years ending in 1885
MAYED I So- ulS Nd at hrps
tabr ca, fuel. metal and timber an average
distance ~ III miles each ton, at charge
OF 81, 0j2, S49, OS3. The charge per ton per
mile on the New York Central railroad,
which is taken by Mr.. Atkinson as a good
example of reduction in charges, was a
little more than 3 cents per mile during
the four Years ending in 1868, and less
than 19-lG0 OF cent during the TOUR years
ending III 1885:
IL we may assume that the people of the
United states have been saved two and one
ii th cents per ton per mile on he " hole rail-
way traffic OF the last four ears, either by
the construction of railways where none be
fore eN sted or by such reduction in the
Chdrge for their sci vice. the amount OF
moneys Ynri saved in TOUR years has been
So, S,373,l59, which sum would pro ably
equal the cash cost Of all the railways built
In the Unileh States since 1855, TO which sum
might probably be auded the entire payment
upo the national debt since 1865
The amount of insurance against loss
by fire returned to the Insurance Com
missioner OF the State of New York from
probably 80 per cent. of all the compa-
nies in the country has increased from
S2.564, III sos in 1865 TO $40, SIT, $40, I70 in
1850. Toe lite insurance lot the after
year amounted to 81, 023, 517, 4SS, having in
creased lourtOld from the previous twenty
years Toe deposits in the savings banks
nj Nj oacnabt1SQtTs alma FIR 1ASS "a
to $274,99S ,4l2, having more than quad
rupled since 1865, and trebled per head of
population Turning to wages, those OF
mechanics in Massachusetts, taking to.
gether carpenters, painters, machlnlsts,
blacksmiths, and so on, averaged, accord
ing to Mr.. Atk lnsOn, % per cent. a day
higher in 1885 than in 1860, while the pur-
chasing power of money, taking all com
moditles together, he puts at Is per cent.
greater. The relation of the farm to the
factory, as modified by the increase OF
railway transportation, is illustrated by
the statement that "the wages for one
days work of an average mechanic In the
far East will pay for moving years sub
slstence Of bread and meat 1000 miles or
more from the distant West"
Taking together several leading items
OF progress. the relative gains in 1885, as
compared with 1866, nave been in popula-
lion 50 per cent; in the hav crop 106, IN
the cotton crop 1914, in the grain crop 256,
in the railway mileage $50, in fire Insur-
ance 80, in pig iron 3S6. Upon the figures
deDOting the area of the COUNTRY it is
hardly necessary TO dwell, save TO observe
that the fe tile State of Texas alone is
larger than the largest of European coun-
tries except Russia; that California is
larger than all the British Isles, ard Flor.
da tnan England and Wales. Nineteen in
dependent states of Europe require aggre-
gate standing armi. OF about 1900, 900
men, with about 100000 more held as
military reserves during the flower of
their lives; while the thirty eight indie
pendent States OF our country maintain a
standing army of $4,000 enlisted men as
frontier and coast police. AS to the for
eIgn markets open TO our products, it is
perhaps enough to cite these words from
Mr.. Atkinson:
Possessing as we do an almost paramount
control of the IN st available supply OF food
and cotton which Europe must have or
starve, we hold demand check upon every
bank IN Europe for the coin or bullion
on which we maintain the specie standard of
value which is so essential to prosperity.
The seven elements in the national life
to which Mr.. Atkinson ascribes the great
gains in material welfare achieved during
the last twenty years are. abbreviating
his description Of them, as follows: Q)
The free purchase and large and increas
in individual ownership Of land, with
its resulting stability. (2) The freedom
OF exchange between the States. 90 The
common schools. az Free suffrage, Inch
assures protection to the humblest. (5)
Local overn meRt tor local affairs. (6)
General laws enabling cities and towns
to provide wac r aud sewerage without
special acts, and railways TO DO con-
structed TO prevent monopoly in trans
portation. % That habit of popular gov
ernment which invariably induces the
people of each newly formed community
to choose It's moderator or mayor, its Sc
iectmen, assessors OF taxes, school COM
mittee, and cOBstables, land then, adopt.
ing the principle of the English com IN ON
law, at once undertake their customary
gainiul occupations"
There is abundant room for stating In
different way and with different empha-
sis the elements that have contributed to
the material progress of this country, but
OF the effectiveness Of the statistics which
Mr.. Atkinson groups there can be no